A Ghost Loves Me
by supremegreendragon
Summary: Henry's dead but head over heels with a living being named Alex. Walter is jealous and a childhood friend of Alex's is very jealous. M/M Rated for safety.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: There will not be any smut or anything in this fic. This will be more of a shounen-ai than a hardcore yaoi fic. That's not to say there won't be some adult things mentioned in this fic which is why I rated it for safety.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the OC's.

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**Henry's P.O.V.**

A woman walked across the street with her seeing eye dog. A young boy on a bicycle. A middle-aged man arguing with whom Henry presumed was his girlfriend. Daily life flashed before him. Ignoring him.

Unable to see him.

Henry looked at his hand without thinking. If he squinted hard enough, he would notice the flesh being subtly translucent, a terrible reminder of his failure to escape his nightmare alive. Walter Sullivan had succeeded in his ritual of the 21 Sacraments and he managed to do so because of Henry's carelessness. Now Henry's ghost was earthbound and unable to move on.

At least Henry could walk out of the apartments and look around. Well, during the day he could. For some reason, when the sun set Henry would black out and wake up in his haunted apartment. The first time he experienced this phenomenon, he tried to leave the apartment again while it was still dark. But the chains, the stupid chains, were on his front door. They would automatically disappear when the sun rose the next day.

Henry wanted to ask Walter why he and the rest of the victims couldn't leave permanently. But not even Henry, who was the least afraid of the mass murderer, was willing to confront him. The ghosts see their killer from time to time but never say anything to him. Henry thought once or twice about striking up a conversation, if even to make a situation less awkward but at the last second he remembered Walter's victorious laugh as Henry died and then the twenty-first victim would end up saying nothing to him. Henry had no idea if Walter was actually talking to his mother but Walter seemed to think that the ritual worked. At least he was happy, Henry thought with scorn.

When Henry felt a light tap on his shoulder he knew it must have been another ghost. Living beings go right through him like air. Henry turned around and noted Cynthia. There were a few small things to be thankful about death. Now that Henry was a ghost too, Cynthia looked to him more like her old former-ghost self. She was no longer crawling on the ground with hair that seemed to be alive. She looked almost normal, except that her arms had some scars that for some reason never left. Henry himself had a reasonable size gash across his face. He was self-conscious about it but Eileen told him that it made him look oddly handsome.

"Hey," Henry greeted, his voice thick from disuse. Even when he had been alive he barely spoke to anyone.

Cynthia smiled at him and nodded her head.

"Hey yourself. Checking out the men here too?"

Henry coughed. She somehow found out one of his deepest secrets. But instead of rejecting him or tossing him aside like other people did in Henry's life, Cynthia fully supported his homosexuality. She said she always wanted a gay friend. She never mentioned anything else about a 'special favor' once she figured it out.

Cynthia was giving him a mischievous smirk as if she caught him trying to steal a cookie from a cookie jar. She and Henry had become close over the months that they been dead. And the Latino woman was always willing to push his buttons with light-hearted humor.

"There aren't that many men here I can check out. He," Henry pointed to the man arguing with the woman, "Is probably already taken and he," pointing to the kid, "might be a little young for me."

"Someone new moved into these apartments and he is absolutely stunning," Cynthia had a big, dreamy smile on her face, "You're quite a looker too. If you two got together, all my fantasies would come true."

Henry had gotten used to Cynthia's suggestive sense of humor (she was joking, right?) so he didn't react to what was just said. The brunette male suddenly shook his head sadly.

"He probably won't even notice me," he cracked a smile.

Cynthia stared at him stunned.

"No way. Was that a joke? I'm rubbing off on you."

Henry chuckled. It was so refreshing that Cynthia would joke around with him as if they hadn't had been murdered by someone who insisted an apartment room was his mother. Other than Eileen, there was no other ghost that Henry was really that close with. Little Walter, the title they gave to the apparition of Walter's childhood, would sometimes want to play with him for some reason. Henry was always hesitant but would give in anyway. He was never good with children but Little Walter seemed to like having him as his play buddy. Henry found out that they both loved cars and any other moving vehicle. It almost made Henry want to ask Big Murdering Walter if he liked cars.

Cynthia stretched her arms across her head and yawned.

"But I understand where you're coming from. Unless you find someone with a sixth sense, you're going to have to settle for another ghost."

Henry felt his eye twitch. Somehow he didn't think that would be a good idea. Besides, what were the odds of any of them being both his type_ and_ gay? He always secretly thought Richard handsome but he had a sneaky suspicion that the man was straight as a nail. And besides, Henry didn't have much of a crush on him anymore, not after seeing how terribly he treated Little Walter. Henry's thinking was simple. If you were worse with kids than Henry was, then you're doing something wrong.

Jasper wasn't his type either. Henry definitely had no interest in Andrew, not because of his weight but strictly because Henry didn't think he was a very good man. When looking at Andrew, Henry could almost sympathize with Walter.

Walter. Did he even have a sexual orientation? Henry had a feeling that the blonde was too obsessed with his mother to ever care for romance. Henry mentally shook his head. Why was he even thinking about his murderer's sexuality? Being a ghost gave him a lot of free time and most of it he spent thinking of weird situations and possibilities. Do the Twin Victims eat? Does Jasper ever get cold? Which ghost is that one that keeps moaning to him every time Henry tries to call a number? Things like that he would contemplate all the time.

"I think it might be too late for me," Henry murmured more to himself than her.

Cynthia gave him a pointed look.

"Don't be like that. Look over there! It's the guy I was talking about. The cute, new one."

She pointed over Henry's head. Henry gave her an awkward smile and turned to look. His unbeating heart gave a pause. The man really was handsome. He was with a little boy carrying a small Robbie Rabbit backpack. The older man had a strong hold on the young boy's hand as if he was afraid something would pop out of the ground and take the child away from him. The child did not seem to appreciate this concern.

"Alex," whined the boy, "Why do I have to go to school here?"

The man named Alex (Henry found he quite liked that name. Alex) turned to the young boy.

"Don't start this again, Josh. I already told you that we need to rebuild our lives here. Which means you have to go to school and I have to find a job."

Rebuild their lives? Henry thought for a moment what that might mean. It seemed that they been through something that made them leave their previous home. But whatever it was couldn't possibly be anything worse than what Henry went through.

He reprimanded himself. No need to go around feeling sorry for himself right now. The two living beings were walking away to where the stop sign was for the bus. Alex turned to Josh and handed him a paper bag.

"It's your lunch. Try to make a friend today, alright?"

"I miss Joey," Josh pouted.

Alex looked about ready to say something but he held it in at the last second. The school bus appeared before them and the boy named Josh went inside. The deed done, Alex started walking toward the nearby library. Henry guessed that he didn't have a computer at home so he was going to use theirs in order to look for a job.

This Josh kid looked too old to be Alex's son. If he was then he was surely born when Alex was a teenager. Henry had a good feeling that Alex was a few years younger than him.

The handsome, living man walked towards his direction. Henry nearly gulped. Those lips looked so…

No no no no. Now was not the time to start getting a crush. Especially on someone who was alive. Henry knew that this wasn't a good idea. And yet as Alex walked through his spirit, Henry almost envisioned the other male entering inside him in a different way. Henry felt himself getting close to having a big embarrassing blush on his face (and something even more humiliating down somewhere else). He was expecting Cynthia to notice and crack a joke. But she was oddly silent, causing Henry to look at her. He was caught off guard by the surprised look on her face. She was staring at a distance where the bus disappeared to.

"Cynthia?"

The dead woman turned to her friend with a look that silently asked 'Did you see that?' There was nothing strange about the boy that Henry had noticed but it seemed that she found something odd.

"What's wrong?" Henry pressed.

"The boy. Josh," she stammered.

"What about him?"

This time Cynthia shook her head with a smile.

"It must be my imagination but it looked like that boy knew we were here. I mean, he was looking at us with a strange expression."

Henry didn't know what to say to that. He took a moment to think of something that wouldn't offend her.

"He was probably just staring into space. I don't think he's anything like Little Walter."

The last thing that this town needed was two little boys with some sort of haunted ghost sense. Cynthia nodded her head.

"Right. Not like Little Walter," she repeated.

"Speaking of the darling," a sing-song voice rang out.

The two looked at the newcomer who was hovering down in front of them. She was another of Walter's victims and a middle aged lady. Mrs. Blake. That was her name right? Henry would have loved to have met her when she was alive. She was awfully sweet but could be stern when needed to be.

Henry believed she was a housewife before she died. She never did much damage to him when he was alive and running from her. And he noticed that she always looked hesitant when attacking as if some spell was coming over her dead body and she wouldn't have hurt a fly if it wasn't for Walter. Maybe she didn't do that much damage because she was resisting and restraining herself?

Mrs. Blake drifted until she was standing right in front of Henry.

"Little Walter has been screaming for you for some time," she told him, "And I'm afraid it's getting a bit ugly. I don't mean to rush anyone but I think the dear needs some comfort."

Uh oh. Whenever Little Walter threw a fit, Big Walter would get stressed and might even throw his own version of a fit as well. And his fits were much more dangerous. Mrs. Blake gave the information in a calm manner but Henry could sense the danger in this situation. They didn't need Big Walter to take his rage out on another unfortunate soul and have another murder on their hands.

Henry rushed back to the apartment. For some reason, he couldn't fly. But he could run very fast. He was at Ashfield in two short minutes. The complex had been abandoned ever since his death. Mr. Sunderland had been killed and no one wanted to take over the place. Henry had seen plenty of daring teenagers trying to go inside the haunted apartment. But, like Cynthia said, unless you had some sort of sixth sense (or really, really bad luck like Henry did) then you wouldn't be able to see any of the ghosts.

The dead man rushed up to the third floor. Little Walter was almost always with his 'mother' in room 302. He had a feeling that the boy was in there now. His suspicions were confirmed when a loud wailing reached his ears. Henry made his way down the hall, not too startled to see Big Walter right outside the door with an angry look on his face. He must have cornered poor Jasper because the seventeenth victim was being held in a chokehold by him.

"Do something about this," Walter growled at Jasper.

"Henry! Where's Henry?" the young voice from beyond the door called.

"Shut up!" Big Walter screamed.

Jasper gulped.

"We we we we we h-h-had s-s-s-someone go g-get him," he stammered. His stammering never ceased even after death.

"I'm here!" Henry called.

The two looked at him coming closer, Jasper with a look of relief and Walter with an unreadable expression. Henry and Walter only ever spoke to each other when the murderer's child side was a concern.

Big Walter let go of Jasper and the Source victim took the opportunity to fly away. Henry rushed passed Big Walter in order to go inside the room. He noticed Little Walter immediately. Tears were streaming down his red face. Henry crouched down and the boy wasted no time in getting closer.

"What's wrong?" he asked the child.

Little Walter started sobbing in his chest. Henry waited patiently for him to come up for air.

"They took my toy train!" he screamed.

"Who?" Henry asked in shock.

"Some boys," thankfully, Little Walter was starting to speak more quietly.

It wasn't unusual for living beings to be able to see both versions of Walters. Henry assumed that the Assumption got extra special privileges of being visible when they wanted to be. Henry smoothed out Little Walter's hair.

"We'll get it back," he assured him, "What did the boys look like?"

"One had red hair and glasses. Another was fat and big. Another had a hat," came the response.

Henry was startled when Big Walter's baritone voice came from behind him.

"They couldn't have gotten far. I'm sure they go to that nearby school, assuming they haven't already drop out."

Henry felt a bit powerless in this position so he stood up. Now eye level with the man, Henry felt a little bit better about arguing with him.

"Could I…handle this myself?"

Well 'arguing' in a sense of pleading with him.

Walter looked at him with those normal dead eyes. Henry always had the hardest time figuring out what his killer was thinking. The man in the blue coat tilted his head.

"Handle it yourself? Why? What can you do?"

Henry bit his bottom lip and thought for a moment.

"Well, I think it would be better if I handled it. You might…kill them."

Big Walter crossed his arms and gave Henry almost a smug look.

"And that's a problem why?"

Henry had to think up something fast.

"I'm sure I can handle the boys. Teach them a lesson without having them be killed," that was what came out of his mouth. Fortunately, it appeared to have worked as Henry noted the spark of interest shine in his killer's eyes.

"Are you sure? You might be too soft on them. You are rather weak."

This fueled enough anger inside Henry to retort.

"I wasn't too soft on you."

Big Walter frowned when he saw the challenge in Henry's eyes. Little Walter giggled softly behind him, trying not to be heard by his adult self. Walter could still hurt Henry even though Henry was dead. In this fucked up other world it didn't matter if you were dead or not. You could still feel pain.

Despite this, Henry wasn't afraid to challenge him from time to time. And it seemed to infuriate the Assumption that Henry wasn't always begging and pleading with him. Maybe it gave him some sort of power trip, Henry mused. No other ghost had the nerve to speak out to Walter as often as Henry did.

The blonde suddenly looked amused.

"Alright. Then teach them a lesson. Let's see what you can do, Receiver."

It was a challenge that Henry was more than willing to accept. Little Walter grabbed his pant leg.

"Don't forget my toy," he insisted.

"Of course I won't, little guy," Henry said affectionately. There was always a strange look in Big Walter's eyes whenever he saw Henry show love to Little Walter. But Henry could never quite read what emotion it was. It wasn't anger. It sort of seemed happy and sad at the same time. Henry would just ignore the looks.

A few hours later Henry was waiting for his prey. They should be coming out fairly soon. They wouldn't like the little scare he had planned for them but at least they wouldn't be killed.

The photographer saw three boys fitting Little Walter's description perfectly. They looked to be about Little Walter's age and one of them (the big one) was holding Walter's beloved toy train. Time to make his move. Henry followed them down the sidewalk, making sure no one else was around to witness this.

He grabbed the toy. Since it was partly a manifestation of the other world, Henry could hold onto it without much trouble or concentration. And the best part was the boys noticed the toy being taken from their hands. But Henry knew that they didn't see him. In their eyes it was like the toy train was flying all by itself. One of them yelled in terror and the rest soon copied his example. They ran away as if there lives depended on it.

The task done, Henry hid behind the bush so no one else would see the floating train. All he had to do was wait. He felt the train warming in his hand. That was its way of telling him that living beings could no longer see it. Being held by a ghost made it part of the dead world completely.

Satisfied that he could carry it without gaining attention, Henry stood up and walked away, intending to backtrack straight to room 302. But seeing someone made him pause. It was the boy named Josh.

Henry knew he still had time before night came. And something in his chest begged to see Alex again. The photographer followed Josh all the way to his apartment. These apartments, Butterfly Grounds, were not very far away from Ashfield Heights. Henry found it quite convenient that his crush lived so close by.

Josh went upstairs to the second floor, pausing at room 205. He entered without a key and closed the door immediately. Henry went through the wall easily, the train going through with him since he was holding on to it. Henry took in the new surroundings. It was obvious that the two had just moved in here. There were still plenty of opened packages and things for them to go through and sort out.

At the table was Alex drinking a tall glass of water. He was frowning in defeat and Henry could only guess that he hadn't had a very successful day. Josh placed his backpack on a nearby couch and sat down next to Alex.

"How was school today?" Alex asked the young boy.

"Fine."

The answer was short and lacking in any emotion. Henry watched Alex get up and rummage through the pantry. His dead heart sank when he noticed that the two had very little to eat. Alex took out a box of mac and cheese.

"I'll get dinner started."

Josh laid his head on his hand with a pout. Alex took no notice of it. Either that or he was feverishly ignoring the look. In a few minutes both boys were sitting down to an unimpressive sized dinner. Henry knew that they must be short on cash. He prayed Alex would be able to find a decent job soon.

The phone suddenly rang. It startled everyone, Henry included. Alex picked up with a tired 'hello.' The living man paused as his eyes widened in shock. His jaw fell to the floor. Now Josh was glancing at him in concern.

"Esmond? How did you get this number?" he asked in a voice loud enough for it to sound like a demand.

Henry could hear sly chuckling on the other end. Whoever this Esmond was was saying something back but Henry couldn't make out the words. Now even Josh looked surprised.

"Esmond Anderson? Your old boyfriend? What's he want?" he asked.

Alex glared but not at Josh. Perhaps he was imagining this Esmond in front of him and glaring at the spot he envisioned the man would be in.

"What do you want?" Alex repeated the question to the caller. There was a moment's pause before Alex responded.

"I wouldn't be interested in anything like that. No. No, I don't want to work for you. I…But…Now you're…How much?" Alex's strong resolve was crumbling, "How will I know if….Really. Well. Okay fine. Yes, I'll be there tomorrow. Okay, thank you."

Henry was at a loss when Alex hung up and he could tell that Josh was as well.

"What happened?" asked Josh.

Alex placed the phone down and rubbed his temples tiredly.

"He offered me a job. And I took it."

"What! Why? He's such a stalker."

Stalker? The word made Henry cringed. He had a stalker once and ended up not surviving the encounter. He knew how dangerous people like that could be. Henry didn't know why or how but he wanted to protect Alex. Something about the man called to Henry in a way that no one was able to before.

Alex offered a reassuring smile that appeared to be more of a grimace.

"It's okay, lil bro. He promised he wouldn't do anything."

"And you believed him?"

"He says he's getting married anyway. Odds are that he's over his infatuation with me. Besides, the pay he offered was too good to pass up. We can actually start dining out if we wanted to."

This seemed to win Josh over a little bit but the small boy did still appear unconvinced. He looked in Henry's direction with a blank look on his face. He stared for so long that Henry nearly wondered if Cynthia wasn't just imagining things this morning. Alex gave his brother an amuse smile.

"Looking at your imaginary friend?" he teased though-oddly-there was a tinge of worry in his voice.

Josh yawned. The simple yawn made Henry realize how late it had gotten. Before he could look outside to see if it was about to get dark, he felt his spirit being pulled back to his old apartment. It was like a transition in a dream. Henry barely felt the changes. He noticed he was now sitting down on the couch in front of the t.v. There was some sort of cartoon on. Little Walter came up to him and Henry gave him back the toy. Little Walter.

"Thank you, Henry!"

"You're welcome," he told him.

The photographer looked around for any sign of Big Walter. The man was oddly absent. He was usually here with his 'mother' at night. Little Walter sensed the question in Henry's head.

"He said he had to do something real quick. He'll be back soon."

Henry nodded and felt a yawn coming. Even ghosts need sleep and Henry felt like he would have nice dreams tonight thinking about Alex. He bid the child in the room good night and went to his room.

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**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

Alex's P.O.V.

He raised the gun to her head, not sure if he could do it. Alex's hand trembled in cold fear. Time was running out. The machine activated and his mother let out an agonizing scream. All Alex could see for a second was blood before his eyes snapped open to a much more pleasant looking wall.

His breathing was labored as he forced his heart to calm down and he took in his surroundings. He found that he was on the bed with a blanket draped over him. It was one of those cheap blankets as the sheets on his old bed wouldn't fit a bed this size. Josh had a similar issue. Alex would be grateful to buy them both decent sheets.

Alex turned to his brother. The beds were adjacent to each other in the bedroom. There were actually two bedrooms but they moved one bed here just to make Alex feel better. He knew he was being a bit overprotective but it was going to take him a while to get around to the idea of giving Josh his own room.

Since it was Saturday, Alex knew to let Josh sleep in. There was still time before the interview and he needed to talk to Mrs. Smith. She was an elderly lady that immediately took a liking to Josh. He hoped that she would be willing to look after him until he found a more permanent baby sitter. Alex sat up. They didn't even have a television, so there was not much he could do to cure the boredom. Alex stood up and got himself dressed, hoping that Esmond wouldn't think he was dressed for him. Esmond had always been weird like that. When they were together during Alex's high school years, Esmond had the unhealthy assumption that everything Alex did was to gain attention. And he would get very jealous if he thought Alex sought out anyone else's attention but his own. Josh had always hated his possessive boyfriend and now Alex understood why.

After dressing and speaking with Mrs. Smith, Josh was still fast asleep. Alex left to catch the city bus and a few minutes later he was at his destination. It was a history museum that Esmond proposed he worked at. Esmond always had luck with money and Alex wasn't surprised to learn that his family owned one. He made his way to the reception and let them know he was here. He only waited a minute and a half before an adult Esmond came into view.

Alex could tell it was him by the short blonde hair and blue eyes behind square glasses. Esmond was wearing a dress suit like Alex always imagined him in. He had always known that Esmond would grow up in business. Esmond seemed more than happy to see him.

"Alex! Glad you could make it."

The shook hands. Alex glanced at him cautiously. Perhaps Esmond forgot all about the night of their break-up and how terrible it was. That or Esmond simply didn't want to reopen old wounds. Esmond led Alex to a very nice office. It was spotless, something that had been a rare sight for Alex to see ever since the whole incident with the Order. The chairs were cushioned with what appeared to be leather and had an odd embroidery design on them. There were even curtains on the windows. Alex sat in one chair and Esmond the other. The unemployed man tried not to fidget. Esmond looked at him with almost intense eyes that Alex wondered what he was searching for. When Alex looked at those eyes, he felt a chill from the past. At least the Boogeyman never did that to him.

"Tell me, Alex. Why are you looking for a job?" Esmond asked.

He appeared very business like. Maybe this wasn't another trick. Maybe he really was over his obsession with Alex. Alex felt himself relaxing a bit.

"My brother and I recently moved and I need money to support him." He knew that Esmond knew this already. How Esmond found out was still a mystery.

"I heard about the funeral. I'm sorry," his ex offered.

"Don't worry about it."

Alex gave Esmond a warning look. One that silently pleaded him not to ask what happened during his return to Shepherd's Glen and how his parents met their fate. Thankfully, Esmond took the hint. He produced some papers from his desk, stacking them up.

"I really want to help you and I know you're good with combat. You'd make a perfect security guard. All you would have to do is make sure people don't touch what they're not supposed to touch, leave when they're supposed to leave and make sure the doors are locked during closing hours."

It sounded too good to be true. Alex wanted to believe there was no catch but after all the hell he'd been through, he'd be damned to fall for any trick so easily.

Yet Esmond seemed legitimately sorry when he spoke of his parents. Maybe Esmond really had change and this was his way of repenting? If Alex knew one thing it was the importance of forgiveness.

"I would be up for the task," he answered.

"Just be sure on the off chance someone does try to sneak in, you'll keep your cool and take care of the problem."

"I don't scare easily." Wasn't THAT the truth?

Esmond was pleased with this answer. He had Alex sign a few papers before shaking his hand once more.

"Welcome to the team. You'll start tomorrow morning at 9."

"Thank you, Mr. Anderson."

Esmond frowned at the formality. He said nothing, however. Alex bid him adieu and left, feeling excited. Esmond would pay him so incredibly well for what seemed like an easy job. He couldn't wait for morning to come.

x

Henry's P.O.V.

He winced at the harsh light. It was hard to get used to waking up while you were dead. It seemed like the sun's rays hurt his lids more than when he was alive. But Henry groggily got out of his bed with a yawn. He was surprised at himself when his thoughts turned to Alex. It was like he was a lovesick teenager, constantly thinking about his crush. He had a few crushes in the past but none of them made him this flustered. Just thinking about Alex made it feel like he was alive again and his blood was pumping furiously. What was worse was the fact that Henry didn't even know the guy. Sure he was cute but Henry felt like he was taking this crush too far already. For one thing, Alex was alive. And Alex would never be able to see him.

Henry shook the thoughts out of his head and left his bedroom. He noted Little Walter cuddling up to the couch fast asleep. That was his way of cuddling up to his 'mother.' Henry didn't believe that there was anything maternal about this room but he knew better than to voice such an opinion.

He figured he would talk to Eileen about Alex. She would understand. Henry walked out of the door, pausing immediately. Just in front of him was his killer holding a gun. Why did he still need that anyway? Henry's eyes were glued to the weapon.

Walter stared at him blankly for a very long time. Henry finally snapped himself out of his trance. Whatever was going on in Walter's head, he didn't want to know. He wordlessly began walking away until he noted that Walter's footsteps were following his.

Taking a gulp of air, Henry willed himself to turn around. Maybe if he was civil, nothing bad would happen.

"Hello," he greeted his murderer awkwardly, "Was there something you needed?"

He half expected Walter to shoot him just for fun. But instead the gun stayed by his side.

"He told me you got the toy back."

"Yes."

"The boys?"

"They won't bother him anymore."

Henry couldn't tell if Walter was satisfied with this answer. The mad man came a few steps closer, threatening to breech the line of Henry's personal space.

"Where are you going?"

Henry was stunned. Why was Walter so curious about what he was doing now of all times? It wasn't like Henry could ever permanently escape this world.

"I was going to look for Eileen."

"What for?" the question sounded as innocent as a child's.

This was becoming more and more strange for Henry. Walter didn't appear to notice his discomfort. Before he could think of a reply, Walter asked another question.

"Are you two….together?"

Henry nearly fell back in shock. The other ghosts had asked him that before. But this was different. This was Walter Sullivan asking! Why would he care? Did he like Eileen? Was he becoming jealous?

The photographer shook his head.

"No. She and I are just friends."

Was it just his imagination or did Walter appear nervous about something? It seemed he had yet another question but couldn't voice it. Henry knew that if he wanted to avoid feeling any sort of pain, he would have to wait patiently for as long as Walter wanted him to stay.

And was Walter coming closer? Too close. Henry instinctively took a step back. The murderer paused like he just realized how uncomfortable he was making his final victim.

"Why are you going to go look for her?" he repeated the previous question.

Henry was saved from answering by another presence coming toward them.

"Henry. Walter," Eileen greeted.

Henry turned around and gave her a grateful smile. He had no idea how to shrug people off, especially those as intimidating as Walter.

Eileen had marks on her bare shoulders but otherwise looked just like she did before Walter's first attack on her. She smiled at the two males.

"What are you guys up to?"

"I was just looking for you," Henry tried to hide the relief in his voice.

He heard Walter's footsteps walking away. Eileen called out to him.

"Hey. Where are you going?"

Walter didn't answer but instead disappeared through the wall. Eileen huffed. She wasn't as afraid of Walter as she should be. Henry was still considered to be the bravest around the murderer but it seemed that Eileen was slowly developing a bigger sister attitude towards Walter. It astounded Henry to think so.

Yet Eileen seemed to harbor no ill feelings toward Walter like the other ghosts did. Henry could somewhat understand. It wasn't like he was vowing vengeance or anything himself. What was done was done. And besides, in a dark, twisted way Henry almost felt pity for Walter.

"What's with him?" the woman asked him.

Henry shrugged.

"I don't know. Hey, Eileen. I was wondering if I could get your advice on something."

Eileen tilted her head.

"Sure, Henry. Let's go to my room."

Once in room 303, Eileen was sitting on her bed and Henry on a chair close by. He fidgeted. He had been in her room a couple of times but he still felt nervous for whatever reason. Maybe it was because Eileen found out about the hole. Henry had been flustered and quickly went to list every excuse in the book. From "I'm not that kind of guy" to "Just trying to make sure you were still alive."

But Eileen had shocked him. She wasn't angry at all. Henry let it slip that he was gay and she informed him to let her know if he needed help with any guy. Henry had been flustered. Did all women like the idea of helping a gay male friend find love?

"What's up?"

Henry took a moment to figure out how to reply.

"I…well. I have a crush on someone….I think."

"Really?" she exclaimed with eyes shining in excitement, "Is it Richard?"

"No no. The reason I need to talk to you is because….he's…well…He's not available."

Eileen was thinking of who would fit such a description, Henry could tell.

"Unavailable? Who could that be?"

"You don't know him," Henry admitted, "The thing is...well...he's alive."

The woman's eyes widened in shock, her mouth forming a tight o shape. Henry looked down in shame, admitting something like this was hard enough without getting that kind of reaction. Finally, Eileen found her voice.

"I see. That might be beyond my range of expertise. I mean, if he can't see or hear you, there isn't much we can do."

Henry fell silent, his heart sinking like the Titanic. Of course she would say that. It was obvious that there was no way Henry could ever introduce himself.

Eileen took in her friend's expression. A small frown tugged her lips, before her eyes softened and the frown turned into a slight smile offering itself as a means of comfort.

"But you know. There might be a way after all."

Henry did a backtrack.

"What? Really? How do you know?"

"You know how you learned some things automatically right after you died? You learned how to go through walls and such? Well, as the Mother Reborn, I figured out how to communicate with the living."

"You can do that?! I thought only Walter could!" Henry was ecstatic. Could he really introduce himself to Alex?

Eileen shook her head.

"As far as I know, Walter is the only one who can show himself to living beings any time he wants. But you and I can let them see us while they're asleep. We can appear in their dreams."

Henry had no idea that could happen. How could he do that? Did he just go inside Alex's sleeping form? That seemed a bit perverse in a weird sense.

A thought occurred to him and the small bubble of hope burst.

"I think he's getting a day job, though. He will only be asleep at night. And I can't leave here at night."

He couldn't even go through the walls of 302 for some reason. He was a complete prisoner in his old room the moment that the sun set.

"Then maybe you should talk to Walter. He might be willing to let you go if you really wanted to meet this guy."

Henry nearly laughed but stopped himself when he noticed that Eileen wasn't joking.

"Walter's not..."

How could he put it delicately? Walter wasn't his friend. The mad man wouldn't care if Henry had a crush on anyone.

"I think he would like to be our friend. Yours and mine, I mean. It always seemed that we were his favorites."

"What are you talking about?"

"He doesn't like the other ghosts much. But he liked me ever since I gave him my favorite doll. And I know he likes you too. There's no harm in at least asking him, is there?"

Henry supposed he couldn't argue with that. There was a sudden knock on the door. Eileen went to answer it, leaving Henry to his thoughts. He didn't have long to contemplate, however, as a small hand took hold of his.

Little Walter gave him an eager smile. Henry blinked in silence and allowed the child to say whatever was on his mind.

"Can we go to the park?"

The request wasn't all that unusual. Little Walter liked it when Henry took him places during the day. They would walk around as ghosts, safe from any notice, and do things like watch ducks at the pond and play on the swings. Henry could only guess that the swings somehow didn't appear to be moving by themselves as living beings never took any notice. Henry still couldn't figure out why that was. He had a theory that something about the toy train being part of this ghost world was why people would notice it floating by itself for a few seconds. Why that was...

Well, Henry was still working on figuring that out. As sad as it was to think of, Henry had an eternity to figure things out.

Would he be beyond bored after a few centuries of being dead? Henry took a minute to think.

"Please Henry," the child pressed.

"Alright. Let's go. You want to come with us, Eileen?"

The woman looked at Little Walter, who stared back at her. The child seemed to catch on to a silent question of hers.

"You can come if you want," he said.

Eileen smiled.

"Alright. Let's go."

X

Alex's P.O.V.

"Mr. Shepard, right?" a gruff male voice startled him out of his thoughts.

Alex noted an elderly man in uniform coming toward him the moment he walked into the locker room. Definitely a seasoned fighter in his day and probably still had some punch in him now.

Alex figured he would like this guy already. He seemed like the type to take on Silent Hill with a smile and those types more than anything always made Alex feel marginally more at east.

Or depending on their nature, they could be the type of people that Alex feared.

"Good morning," Alex greeted politely.

"I'm Guin Nordic," the man introduced.

Interesting last name but Alex figured he would refrain himself from commenting on it.

"I'm here to show you the ropes," Nordic explained.

Alex let him take him on the tutorial. The museum was much bigger than Alex originally thought. Even on the outside it didn't look nearly this huge. What was that one British show with the guy with a phone booth and the inside was bigger than the outside? Alex couldn't remember what it was called. But in any case, that was what this building reminded him of.

By the time they were finished, they were already two hours into their shift. Nordic let him watch the front while he made rounds. Alex felt a bit uncomfortable. Plenty of bored children were around with their parents and seeing the families stirred something unpleasant in his chest.

A few more hours passed and nothing exciting happened. Alex knew he was going to get bored of this job soon if it weren't for the promise of his paycheck.

Easy money was never something to complain about, especially when you needed money as much as Alex did.

His eyes shifted when he felt a looming presence. Esmond had his arm draped over a fragile looking guy. The man looked so weak that Alex wouldn't be surprised if Josh managed to kick his ass. From the way the man flushed at Esmond's touch, Alex knew immediately who the guy must be.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Anderson," he rehearsed just like he was taught.

Esmond motioned towards his lover.

"Alex. Meet my fiancé. This is Carl. Carl, this is my friend from high school, Alex Shepherd."

The two acquaintances shook hands. Alex couldn't help but smile in relief. He he was. Proof that Esmond was actually over him in the flesh. As long as Carl was around, Alex could feel reassured that Esmond had no alterior motives for hiring him.

Carl seemed just as pleased to meet Alex. He almost seemed close to winking which made Alex shift uncomfortably. He wasn't naive and he knew that he was gifted with looks most people find appealing. However, Alex (strange though it may seem)was always too bashful to flirt back. The reason he liked Ell so much was because she never made him feel uncomfortable even when they were teens and her crush on him was more than apparent.

He needed to call her soon to see how she was doing. Her recovery probably wasn't any easier than his and at least he still had Josh.

"Esmond told me so much about you," Carl informed.

Alex had no idea what to say. Esmond was talking about him? What was he telling this man? Alex was too afraid to even ask.

His ex saved him from having to respond.

"I told Carl a lot about your dad too. He was always into the soldier types."

Alex was struck silent once more. Please don't let him know if Carl liked them older. He didn't want to know if Carl would have found his dad attractive or not. Thinking that was just too weird for Alex.

Carl hugged his fiancé.

"I'm into you now. No reason to be jealous."

"I'm not," Esmond laughed humorously.

Alex endured watching the two display affection for each other. Should they be doing that in a public place like this? Alex knew it wouldn't be wise to say anything against his boss, so he kept his mouth shut.

Finally, they were done cuddling like kittens. Esmond turned his attention toward Alex.

"Anyway. We were both wondering if you wanted to come drink with us after work? There's this bar close by that-"

"Thanks but I can't," Alex interrupted, "I got to pick up Josh from his babysitter."

"Oh yes. Josh," Esmond responded as if he just remembered him. Was it just Alex or did his voice sound slightly bitter?

He told himself to keep calm, it was just his imagination. What did he think Esmond was going to do? Molest him in his sleep? Alex told himself that he was nervous for absolutely no reason.

"That's too bad. Maybe we can all go out to dinner sometime? We can bring Josh. Who is Josh anyway?" asked Carl.

"My brother. But I'm not sure if he-"

"I think that would be a swell idea," it was Esmond's turn to interrupt Alex. He smiled brightly, "Maybe tomorrow. It could be like a welcome dinner for Alex."

"You really don't have to," Alex argued feebly.

"Not at all. We would both be glad to have you with us. We would both like to get to know you better. Wouldn't we, Carl?"

"Yes," was that a blush on Carl's face? He was looking right at Alex, "It would be our treat."

For some reason, Alex had a feeling that declining wasn't an option.


	3. Chapter 3

Alex's P.O.V.

"What!" exclaimed Josh with eyes as wide and unblinking as a goldfish. Alex almost lost control and laughed at seeing such a face from his kid brother.

He knew beforehand, of course, that Josh wouldn't agree to dining with Esmond and his fiance. Alex remembered when he was seventeen and still dating the man, it was so surreal how protective Josh was whenever Esmond would blame Alex for something that wasn't his fault or insulted him for no reason. It was almost like Josh forgot he was ten years younger than Alex and then took it upon himself to be Alex's big brother.

The newly hired man brought a hand to the child's shoulder. They were sitting at the park, each brother with a nice ice cream cone. Alex thought that having a sweet treat would lessen the blow the news would give Josh. Apparently not.

"You know he's only going to try and get you back! Don't do it, Alex," Josh looked up at his brother pleadingly, melting strawberry ice cream completely forgotten.

"He's getting married, lil bro. Don't sweat it. Besides, you should have seen them at the museum. Those two are so googly eyed for each other that Esmond can't possibly look at anyone else."

"Then why would he invite you for dinner?" Josh demanded.

Alex licked his vanilla flavored treat, trying to look bored in order to hide the suspicions he held himself. Josh had a point, that much was true, Esmond had never been one to give up easily. But as Alex thought about his pay rate and how much he could provide for Josh with it, he found himself desperate to believe his ex innocent in his intentions.

"Us, Josh. He invited both of us. He and Carl. And I convinced them to take us to Olive Garden, your favorite restaurant."

Though it had been a pain in the ass to convince Esmond. He wanted to treat them to some fancy five star restaurant. Alex and Josh would both stick out like a sore thumb if they went there, besides it had been so long since he had a nice dinner with Josh at Olive Garden. He remembered before the whole 'incident' with the boat that they would occasionally dine there, just the two of them. For a short while Alex could treat himself to Josh's company without his parents doting on how much better a son Josh was. For a short while, Alex was free to love without envy and hatred getting in the way.

Alex immediately shook his head of these thoughts, for they were going down a path he didn't dare his mind to take.

"I don't care. He's a bad man, Alex! Just do your job and take his money. Don't be his friend."

Alex sighed. A flash of realization went through Josh's eyes.

"Unless you're afraid he would fire you if you told him no. If he would do that, it would prove that he only hired you to get back into your life. Don't be stupid!"

"You're the one being stupid," Alex found himself suddenly angry, "If I let this job go, I will never find one that pays half as well. I can't risk that Josh. I want to feed us and buy you toys for Christmas and take you places and pay for your college! This is the best way I can do that. Hell, it might be the _only_ way!"

Josh pouted with his head held low, not complete submission but at the very least he seemed willing to drop the subject. He and Alex finished their treats in silence. The elder brother noted a small figure coming toward them and was shocked when Josh greeted him.

"Hi Walter."

The young stranger raised a hand awkwardly, turning his eyes to Alex.

"Is this your new friend?" asked Alex hopefully.

"I guess," Josh mumbled.

"My name's Walter."

The boy looked so young. Alex looked around for whoever Walter's guardian was. There didn't appear to be anyone in sight.

"Hey. Who are you with?" Alex asked.

The boy named Walter stared at him questionably. He wasn't here all by himself, was he? Walter pointed upwards to his left but there was no one there.

"I'm with Henry."

"What about a real person?"

Walter glared at him offended.

"Henry is real!" he insisted.

"Where do you live?"

"With Mom."

Alex was about to ask where the boy's mother was when Josh stood up.

"Let's play on the swings, Walter!"

Walter agreed and the two boys ran off, leaving a bewildered Alex behind.

x

Henry's P.O.V.

He still couldn't believe that Cynthia was right and Josh could see him. But how could that be? He didn't mention the boy to anyone, not wanting Walter to overhear. If the killer thought Josh being able to see them was a problem, he might hurt both him and Alex.

It was a few days ago when Henry went with Little Walter and they met the strange boy. Josh greeted Walter and to his astonishment greeted Henry too. Little Walter didn't seem surprised by the fact that Josh could see ghosts. As a matter of fact, Henry was wondering why Little Walter couldn't understand why Alex thought he was imaginary. Little Walter usually seemed to understand that no one else could see him, so the reason he thought Alex could was beyond Henry's understanding. Henry sat down next to Alex as they both watched the little boys play. Henry flushed from time to time, sneaking peaks at Alex as if there was any chance of him getting caught. He wondered what would've happened if he had survived the 21 Sacraments. He might have been able to introduce himself to Alex and then…maybe a relationship would have started. But Henry knew that was just wistful thinking on his part. Henry couldn't speak to Josh, for the last time the boy spoke to him in front of another living being, the person watching Josh thought out loud to herself about taking Josh to counseling and that scared the boy enough for him to stop speaking to Henry altogether.

Henry could sympathize, he never found counseling to be very helpful. And Josh didn't need therapy, other than the odd fact that he could see ghosts, Henry felt Josh had a pretty sane head on his shoulders. He tried not to dig too deep into his reasoning because he was afraid that believing a kid with such an ability to be sane was proof of his own mental instability. He couldn't help but wonder from time to time if he wasn't insane and if he was, when did it happen? Did he snap sometime while he was alive and still fighting sniffer dogs or did spending his time with the dead slowly deteriorate his sound mind?

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a small snore, then he turned his head to Alex, who was lolling his head. Henry felt this was very sudden. Alex seemed to have gone from awake to looking as exhausted as the dead. Little Walter and Josh were still safely playing around, this time playing some sort of chasing game.

Henry took a moment to appreciate how the younger male appeared in his slumber, Alex's slightly plump lips parted just a bit, shoulders relaxing as if they had been tense for years. Henry could easily imagine him as a type of soldier resting from a bloody battle. At the risk of sounding cheesy, Alex looked like an angel when he was asleep. Maybe his dreams were nothing short of innocent, full of high school crushes and scenes from movies. Well, like he would know what Alex dreamt about on a daily basis….

Wait a minute! He suddenly remembered what Eileen had told him. This was the perfect opportunity to introduce himself. Hell, it might be the only opportunity.

Now how was he going to-

Henry decided to try to enter him like he entered through walls. That wouldn't count as a sexual violation, would it? No, Henry knew better than that. He closed his eyes, concentrated and moved his hand into Alex's head. Turns out that was all he needed to do, for the next moment Henry found himself in a nice looking house with a teenage Alex resting on a couch. He had been reading a magazine before he looked at Henry the moment the ghost entered.

"Who are you?" he asked, sounding a bit unstrung.

It took all of Henry's willpower not to flush. Alex could see him. He could see him! Henry knew that his time was short, for surely he would be pulled out of Alex's mind the moment that Alex woke up.

"I…I….I…." then Henry remembered he could never speak more than one word to someone he really liked. Way to go, Henry. He gave himself a sarcastic mental pat on the back. How could he forget how shy he could be? It took him a year to gather the courage to say hi to Eileen and he was never even attracted to her.

Alex stood up to examine him closely. Henry didn't know what to make of the look he was receiving but it seemed like Alex was showing interest. That was good, right?

"What's your name?" Alex asked, this time a lot more gently.

The gentleness calmed Henry's nerves just enough for him to say one more word.

"Henry."

"I'm Alex. Did you just move here?"

"Alex. What the hell is this?" a harsh voice cut through the air.

Henry and Alex both jumped at the intruding voice. A blonde haired teenager was staring at Henry like he was a giant cockroach. He aimed his glare at Alex.

"You're whoring yourself to older men now?"

"For God's sakes, Esmond! I was just talking to him."

"Bullshit!"

Alex looked at Henry.

"This is Esmond Anderson, Henry. Don't worry about him."

Esmond wrapped a possessive arm around Alex, who rolled his eyes in disgust. Henry flushed at the display, was the real Esmond like this, treating his lovers like a hundred dollar bill that would be stolen at any time? Now wonder Alex left him.

"Look for someone your own age, you perv."

Well, it wasn't like Henry was infatuated with teenage Alex. Still, Esmond's words stung and made him feel guilty.

"Stop that, Esmond. I can't make one friend without you going off on a tangent."

SLAP!

Henry jumped again as the hand made impact with Alex's cheek. What was strange was how Alex didn't seem surprise. In fact he seemed to have been expecting it. Henry felt his fists tighten by his sides and he was reminded of the time Walter hit the still-living Eileen with a hard bat, bruising her terribly. How he had wanted to throttle the blonde haired man when he saw his friend in danger. He was experiencing the same feelings all over again.

"Maybe if you would stop being such a goddamn cock-slut. You look at every man on the street. And you gave Mr. Smith your number, you whore!"

"He was my boss for my summer job," Alex defended but his voice was wavering from weariness.

"You didn't ask me how I would feel about you handing out your number. How would you like it if I pass my number to anyone I wanted? Huh?"

Alex recoiled, looking more than ready to give up the fight. Perhaps the slap affected him more than Henry first realized.

"I….I would be jealous."

"See?"

"I'm sorry, Esmond."

"Fucking sorry?" Esmond grumbled.

"Please don't hate me."

"Everyone hates you," Esmond declared.

"I don't," Henry spoke with a firm voice that he rarely used.

Esmond glared at him while Alex stared at Henry questionably.

"Stop trying to get into my boyfriend's pants!"

"I'm not," Henry argued, "I'm sorry that he has you for a boyfriend, seeing as how you hate him. He needs someone that will love him."

Esmond suddenly vanished in much the same way as a haunting did when Henry used to dispel it with a holy candle. Alex didn't notice that his boyfriend was even gone since he was staring intently at Henry, his face one of shock. Henry nearly shuffled his feet like he was in kindergarden and his teacher asked him a question he didn't know the answer to.

"You really think that?" Alex asked.

Henry flushed and nodded silently. Why couldn't he stop acting like a little kid? Even Little Walter would laugh at how childish he was being if he witnessed this. Speaking of laughter, was that Alex chuckling just then? Great, now his crush thought he was a doofus. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"No one ever told me that before. And it had been the only thing I ever wanted to hear."

The flash of honesty shocked Henry but what really caught him off guard was when Alex took a step closer, closing his hand around his in a handshake.

"Thanks." It wasn't a declaration of love but it still filled Henry's dead heart with delight to hear it.

_Come on, Henry, _he told himself._ You went head to head with the mass murderer Walter Sullivan and you're telling me you can't say anything else to this guy? Stop being such a scardy cat. You can do this!_

"Um…Alex. You know I'm really…"

The earth shook out of the blue and Henry was pushed out of Alex's dream. He scrambled to his feet, instinctively looking back at Alex to make sure he was okay. It turned out that the source was Alex's little brother shaking him awake.

"Hey. If you want to make your abusive boss happy, we better not be late."

"Abusive?" Henry exclaimed. That ex boyfriend they were talking about. Was he using his power to hurt Alex? And where did Little Walter run off to?

Alex had the same thought.

"Where's your friend?" he asked in concern.

"He went back to his mom."

"Oh, so his mother had been here," Alex checked his wristwatch, then suddenly jumped out of his seat, "Christ! We got to leave like….right now!"

"That's what I told you."

x

Alex's P.O.V.

Despite all the struggling getting to Olive Garden on time, Alex still found time to wonder about the dream he had from his nap. Dreams usually meant something, right? If so, what was Henry supposed to represent? His ideal perfect man? Maybe he should look it up online.

They made it just as the clock struck five. The waitress eyed them like she had been expecting them. Obviously, she was.

"Greetings, Mr. Shepherd. Mr. Anderson is this way."

She walked away for them to follow. Josh gave Alex a knowing look and the two set off. Esmond and Carl waved at them as they approached, both paying more attention to Alex than to the little boy.

"Hello, Alex. Just in time," Esmond commented.

"Are you Josh?" Carl asked his little brother.

"Yeah. You're Carl," it wasn't a question.

"That's right," Carl confirmed, happy to be recognized. Josh started coloring with the crayons provided for him. Esmond glanced at Alex in interest.

"What would you like to drink?"

"I'm just going to get water."

"Really? You don't want anything else?"

"I'm getting soda," Josh announced.

A second flashed with an annoyed look from Esmond but it left so suddenly that Alex thought he had only imagined it. Alex just wanted to have his meal and get as far away as possible from the couple. Perhaps he could spend the rest of his evening thinking about Henry. He couldn't figure out why but the man from his dream really fascinated him, so much so that Alex wished he was real. Maybe Henry really was the embodiment of everything Alex wanted in a lover? He definitely had the quality of actually loving him and that more than anything got Alex's heart pumping.

The waitress set down some wine for all the adults, Alex included, he turned to his ex for an explanation. Esmond offered him a friendly smile, the same one he would use when they were lovers and Esmond was happy with him. That smile came less and less as time wore on, which was one of the reasons Alex terminated the relationship.

"Remember when I promised I would buy you your first drink? I might already be too late but at least I can give you this."

Alex vaguely remembered that conversation. Esmond had said something about how he wanted to be with Alex when he went to a bar in order to make sure no one slipped a roofie in his drink and raped him. Alex had thought the concern unusual but sweet. Now Alex was wondering if Esmond was really worried about his well being or if he was just jealous of the idea of someone in bed with him, even if it wasn't with Alex's consent. It was such a sick idea but try as he might, Alex couldn't cast the thought aside as an impossibility.

"Thanks, Esmond."

He took a sip just to be polite, he was much more a beer guy than a wine drinker but he knew better than to refuse a gift from his ex, even if he believed Esmond had changed.

"So, are you seeing anyone lately?" Esmond asked. Alex nearly spat out the wine in shock. A little too much wine filled his mouth, forcing him to swallow and feel the rush of alcohol going through his brain.

"No. I'm still single," he replied honestly.

"That's too bad," Esmond said not sounding as sympathetic as he should.

Josh looked up at Alex.

"But I know someone who likes you."

With that statement, Esmond was now looking at Alex in shock, his previous satisfied expression gone in a flash. Alex was just as surprised that Josh knew someone who liked him. True, many people thought he was handsome but as far as he knew none of them ever confided in Josh.

"Who are you talking about?"

Carl sipped at his wine, glancing at his fiance nervously. At this point Alex didn't have the courage to see what Esmond's face looked like now. He didn't want to know. It was laughable that Alex was willing to stick his hand into a hole in the wall that was oozing blood but he didn't have the gumption for that.

"His name is Henry. Henry Townshend."

Alex felt his jaw drop as he remembered his dream guy. Surely it was just coincidence, it wasn't like Henry was an uncommon name, after all. Alex was still curious about the Henry Josh was speaking about. If there was someone who liked him, there was no reason not to learn more about him. Maybe Alex could start meeting people again, it would certainly take his mind off of Esmond.

"Where do you know him?"

A teacher maybe?

"He lives in South Ashfield Heights."

Carl wasn't so lucky with his wine as Alex had been. The news shocked him into a coughing fit, causing everyone to pause and wait for it to pass. Carl glanced at Esmond in horror and Alex's ex gave the little boy a stern look.

"Please don't joke with your brother like that."

He had no right to reprimand Josh, though fear kept Alex from saying anything about it.

"What do you mean joke?" he asked his ex.

"Surely you know about Ashfield Heights," Esmond exclaimed, "A series of murders took place there not too long ago. Everyone who lived there is either dead or gone. They think it might be some Walter Sullivan copycat."

Walter, the name sounded familiar to Alex. Carl's complexion was white as snow.

"They still haven't found him even though the killings seem to have stopped. His victims had numbers carved on their bodies but no one knows what they mean."

Alex's heart plunged, he thought he had found a safe place to keep Josh but he ended up taking him to a town with murderers.

_Come on, Alex_, he scolded himself. _You really think you can find a place without crime? We're not in fairy tale land._

"I had no idea…"

"But Henry does live there!" Josh insisted.

"Josh," Alex began when a loud gasp from Carl interrupted him.

"I thought the name sounded familiar. Remember, Esmond? Henry Townshend was the name of the resident who was found mutilated beyond recognition. He was the last victim they found with numbers."

"That's right," Esmond noted, "They said he went crazy and locked himself up for days before they found the body-or the remains of it. Apparently he was completely in pieces."

"I still think those victims knew something about the murderer. They all seemed like they were chosen targets to me," Carl pointed out, "I have no doubt that Townshend thought locking himself up would keep him alive. But his killer got to him anyway."

Alex wanted to ask Carl what made him so sure the victims were specifically chosen and not random. But Josh spoke up first.

"Shows what you know," he muttered to Carl.

"Josh, be nice," Alex couldn't afford to get on Esmond's bad side.

Esmond showed more interest to Josh now than when they began to talk.

"So, you know what happened?"

"Of course. Walter told me."

"Walter Sullivan?" Esmond was smug, "He died ten years ago. They even found the body."

"They don't still have it," Josh argued, looking angry at Esmond for being so arrogant.

"Oh really? How are you so sure?"

"Because Henry told me the body was still in room 302."

The last bit of information was enough to send Carl over the edge. The weak man fainted like an old woman who saw a mouse and Alex watched as Esmond tended to his lover. He glanced at his little brother in worry. This seemed too much to be a joke. If Josh thought he was talking to ghosts, he needed help right now. Maybe the whole ordeal with the Order scared Josh senseless.

Or maybe it was all real. Alex had no reason to doubt that, since he witnessed monsters thought to only exist in horror movies.

Esmond managed to wake Carl up. He stared at Alex and Alex could tell already, he was not happy.

"I am so sorry for Josh's behavior. He's been through a lot. Please forgive us."

Josh glared at Alex like he was a traitor.

"Of course," Esmond's expression softened ever so slightly, "Let's not talk about this anymore."

The rest of the dinner was a silent one. It took forever but Alex was finally home with Josh. He instructed his brother to get ready for bed. When Josh was gone, Alex left the room to see his superintendent. He was an old man with a beard long enough to braid and unusual spectacles. He had been in his room when Alex pestered him to let him use the computer. Butterfly Gardens had one computer that was always being used during waking hours. In order to get in, you needed the key. To Alex's luck, no late night visitor was using it. The superintendent didn't seem to mind being bothered for the key but Alex still wondered why he only had one. Why not make a few copies?

He made his way to the computer. He took in a deep breath and googled Henry Townshend, praying to God that his fears were wrong.

They weren't. The image of the man in front of him looked exactly like the man from his dreams.


End file.
